Conversation with a Killer

A girl ran up to her friend seconds before she hopped on the bus. "Mel!" she shouted, "Mel!"

Melinda turned and let the boys behind her board the bus first. She wondered what was so important to Natalie. "Natty, what's the matter?"

"Sorry," she panted, "but I had to catch you and tell you to meet me online tonight. I figured out a new aspect to our history project and we can discuss it and actually start writing some of our stuff up. Not to mention we've also got to put together our project outline because it's due tomorrow."

Melinda slapped her forehead, "Oh gosh! I'd completely forgotten! I swear my life would be a mess if you weren't there to remind me about all the stuff I have to keep track of."

Natalie chuckled. "Well, will 5pm be good for you?"

"Actually no, I've got soccer practice today and then I'll be going to my mom's house. She's pretty lenient so I can be on later though, well after dinner of course- she insists on us eating together 'like a family.' If she wanted us to be a damn family why'd she send me to live with my dad and let my brother move out of her house at sixteen?! I haven't seen him since I was eleven, it's been four long years."

Afraid this would turn into another therapy session about her problems at home, Natalie hurried to bring the conversation back around to the matter at hand. "Well I have jazz band today until five, oh man, and then a french horn lesson at seven. Hmm, I guess I can be online a bit later, my parents understand since it's for homework. How about nine?"

It took a while for Natalie's voice to penetrate Melinda's deep thoughts. At last she said, "Yeah, all right. That'll be good. Talk to you then Natty!" She hopped onto the bus before her bus driver had to call her aboard.

"Bye Mel!" she waved and then turned to run back to the band room so she wouldn't be late for jazz rehearsal.

* * * * * * * * 6 hours later * * * * * * * *

"Mom, I'm goin' online!"

"Alright Mel, it's fine!" Ms. Ferrumick shouted back from the other end of her apartment.

"Well I just thought I'd tell you not to freak if I'm not in bed by midnight because me and Natty are gonna be working on our history project. We've got a part of it due tomorrow."

"That's fine honey."

Melinda flipped up the top of her mom's laptop and the blue screen popped up. She leaned back in the swivel chair and pulled her portable CD player out of her soccer bag, which she had deposited on the floor upon her arrival. She put in one of her numerous Evanescence CDs and sunk into the sounds of Amy Lee singing "Haunted." She regretted having forgotten her CD case with her entire collection of Metallica.

The dial-up connection was, as usual, a little slower than at her dad's house, but she waited patiently and flipped through the pages of notes she'd taken in class because of their potential value to the project. Melinda waited for the AOL Instant Messenger program to load, then typed in her screen name: SokkerChik88 and password:*******.

Meanwhile Natalie was checking her watch and wondering what was taking Mel so long. It was already a quarter past nine. She didn't want to have to stay up later than she had to because of her Academic Decathlon meeting that would occur before school the next day. She was obsessed with being punctual and sometimes had a hard time understanding how she could have become best friends with a person as disorganized and scatter-brained as Mel.

SokkerChik88: hey natty
silvermusicbook: mel! finally!
SokkerChik88: yeh, sorry, mom's comp is soooo slow
silvermusicbook: sucky, so whatcha got done on the project?
silvermusicbook: any notes? etc..?
SokkerChik88: well i got bout 8pgs
silvermusicbook: in just todays?!?
SokkerChik88: no way! in this weeks
silvermusicbook: oooohh, makes more sense. i got an idea, instead of typin up
all the stuff and wasting so much time, just scan all the pgs and email it
SokkerChik88: no prob
SokkerChik88: one sec.
silvermusicbook: k
SokkerChik88: got it, you've got mail
silvermusicbook: alrighty, im gonna check it, hold for a min.
SokkerChik88: no prob nat

There was a break in the conversation as Natalie checked her email and scanned through the eight pages of notes. Although Melinda's handwriting was a bit big, it wasn't full of mindless garbage. The notes were actually quite good and would save her some time on background research. She had missed class as a result of a band competition and had been depending on Melinda to gather as much information as possible before the outline was due.

silvermusicbook: wow mel, im impressed. we can just use your lecture
notes, plus some of the stuff i pulled from the book.
SokkerChik88: great, so how much work we actually going to have to put
into this horrid thing tonite?
silvermusicbook: not much, w/ all this stuff i can write up the
outline in a few mins.
SokkerChik88: k, so you'll write the thing up and we're done for the
night?
silvermusicbook: should be, the other parts can wait and ive got to
wake up early
SokkerChik88: that sucks, AD?
silvermusicbook: yeah
silvermusicbook: let's see. . .i can send it to you, just so you can
see what its like when im done, and you can check for errors, want to
make sure its perfect
SokkerChik88: some of your writing having errors??? i dont believe it.

SokkerChik88: lol
silvermusicbook: heehee, i know
silvermusicbook: well ill be w/ you in a few cause it'll take me a
while to type it up
SokkerChik88: k (

Melinda put up an away message because some of the girls from her
soccer team had just signed on. They could get on a person's nerves easily and they had a bad habit of always wanting to talk with her when they were online. This way at least she could still be polite by not answering them.

She checked her Hotmail account and visited all her usual sites, starting to get bored. She leaned back, just listening to the music coming from her headphones when she noticed she had received an IM.

Bubbawonder43: hey girl!
SokkerChik88: Auto Response: Hey peeps, I'm away right now, leave a
message after the beep.....BEEP! Luv ya'll ^^

Melinda frowned. Bubbawonder43? Who was that? She'd never heard of
this person, much less ever talked to she or he.

Bubbawonder43: girl, i know you're there
Bubbawonder43: come on, talk to me. i've seen you around school and
i'd love to just get to know you

She clicked "Back" and her away message disappeared.

Bubbawonder43: that's right girl

It was starting to creep her out that Bubbawonder kept calling her
'girl.' True, she had taken down her away message, but really to talk to Natalie.

SokkerChik88: Natty!!!

A few seconds delay.

silvermusicbook: mel what's the matter?!
SokkerChik88: there's some creep talkin to me, keeps callin me 'girl'
silvermusicbook: what, really?
SokkerChik88: yah, name's Bubbawonder43
silvermusicbook: creepy!
SokkerChik88: should i talk to 'em?
silvermusicbook: WHAT?!
silvermusicbook: ARE YOU NUTS MEL?????!?1??!?!
SokkerChik88: why?
silvermusicbook: don't you listen to the news once in a while? Creeps
spot out young girls and talk to them online, girls think they're
nice, then . . . then they get all friendly, next thing you know she
spills her address, or he sets up a place to meet, girl gets raped or
murdered or both!!!
SokkerChik88: wow, i think u watch too much AMW
silvermusicbook: mel, im not kidding! And getting there's nuthin wrong
w/ watchin america's most wanted!
SokkerChik88: fine fine, wont talk to bubba
silvermusicbook: good
silvermusicbook: sorry i went all nutso on you, but im just lookin out
for you
SokkerChik88: i kno i kno, its what all good friends do
silvermusicbook: *grins*
SokkerChik88: hehehe (
silvermusicbook: well it's a good thing you imed me cause i've got the
outline all set up and neatly typed up, want you to read it before
iprint, i sent it to you
SokkerChik88: k

Melinda returned to her inbox and picked up the email from . Her eyes scanned the two-page outline. As usual she was impressed by the massive effort that Natalie always put into her work, even if it was a dopey outline for a cranky history teacher. She grinned upon seeing that most of the outline was compiled from her own notes, but Natalie had put it into a much more understandable format and filled in a few missing details here and there with her own knowledge plus the facts she had gathered from the text book.

SokkerChik88: it's perfect! you've done it again
silvermusicbook: couldn't've w/out your help
SokkerChik88: hehe! ^^
SokkerChik88: well its just great, we're done now right?
silvermusicbook: just bout, im gonna print it off, soon as I do that,
off to bed for me
SokkerChik88: what time is it
silvermusicbook: hmm..like 10:20
SokkerChik88: okies
SokkerChik88: well ill prolly be goin soon too
SokkerChik88: ...though my mom thinks ill be on til 12 so i can do
more web surfing
silvermusicbook: well whatever you do, don't talk to the freak
SokkerChik88: don't worry, i wont
silvermusicbook: good, well byessss!
silvermusicbook: cya tomorrow! ^^
SokkerChik88: right! bye natty, luv ya
silvermusicbook: (

The door on Melinda's buddy list slammed as Natalie signed off. She
went onto the search engine Google to find some information on understanding the reason behind the thoughts and philosophy of Plato for the English paper she had due in two weeks. It wasn't until a little after eleven o'clock that she realized that Bubbawonder43 was still there, and occasionally IMing her.

Bubbawonder43: come on girl, talk to me
Bubbawonder43: geeeeeez, you're acting like you don't even know me
Bubbawonder43: girl! why you hate me?
Bubbawonder43: hello??
Bubbawonder43: hey....is something wrong?

Melinda went instinctively to shut the idiot up, but into doing so she spoke to him instead of blocking the creep.

SokkerChik88: go away bastard!

The realization of what she had done struck her. She hurried to sign off, but his next message caught her eye.

Bubbawonder43: Mel, how could you say that?!

She gasped.

SokkerChik88: how do you know my name?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?1?!1
Bubbawonder43: i told you i go to school with you
SokkerChik88: who r u?
Bubbawonder43: Joel
Bubbawonder43: I see you go by each day at lunch with that band nerd,
Nat or whatever you call her
SokkerChik88: u stalkin me?!
Bubbawonder88: no way girl, i just saw you once and fell in love
SokkerChik88: go to hell
Bubbawonder43: but then id never see you again
Bubbawonder43: and im not kiddin, i do love you
SokkerChik88: bug off, f-er
Bubbawonder43: now your tryin to scare me off with wanna be cussin?
SokkerChik88: i said to bug off, loser

Although she was going against her instincts she kept talking to
Bubbawonder. This supposed "Joel" was interesting her, how did he know her name? He had to go to her school to know her and Natty. . .right?

Bubbawonder43: mel, don't say that, im not a loser and i really do
love you. like Romeo and juliet, love at first sight
SokkerChik88: i don't believe in that crap
Bubbawonder43: maybe its cuz i keep callin you mel, is that wrong?
SokkerChik88: no. . .my name's really melinda, my friends call me mel
though
Bubbawonder43: well i just hope you could soon consider me a friend,
until then it'll be Melinda i guess

Slowly Joel was beginning to win her over with what seemed to be much
charm.

SokkerChik88: aw, that was actually kinda sweet, joel?
Bubbawonder43: uh, oh yeah. . .well what can i say? im that kind of
guy
SokkerChik88: *blushes and giggles*
SokkerChik88: sorry about ignoring u earlier, i just didnt know who u
were
Bubbawonder43: that's no problme
SokkerChik88: so, whatcha interested in? heavy metal?
Bubbawonder43: of course, what teen isnt?
Bubbawonder43: my fav band is evanescence, and of course metallica
SokkerChik88: wow, i love them too! Im actually listening to
evanescence's cd ~fallen. but i forgot my metallica cds at my dads
housse
Bubbawonder43: your parents are divorced?
SokkerChik88: uh. . . . yeah . . .
SokkerChik88: my situation at home really ist that great. my mom was
kinda the reason of the whole family breakup when my little sis died.
its been tough. and she tries to be a 'family' which pisses me off. .
. cuz its just me an her when i visit. she sent off my bro. . . . he
moved out when he was 16. havetn seen him for 4yrs
Bubbawonder43: wow, that really is tough *nods sympathetically*
Bubbawonder43: my parents were divorced too
SokkerChik88: were?
Bubbawonder43: yeah, my dad died in a car accident some years back
SokkerChik88: oh, i'm sorry (
SokkerChik88: well i just hope my mom doest do the same to me since im
almost the same age tim was (my bro)
Bubbawonder43: so your 15?
SokkerChik88: yeh, u?
Bubbawonder43: im 16
Bubbawonder43: and technically i dont think ur mom can do that, cuz
wouldn't she be having shared custody with your dad? and i don't think
hed allow it
SokkerChik88: hmm, didn't really think of that
Bubbawonder43: hehehe, makes you feel better?
SokkerChik88: yeah! a whole lot!
Bubbawonder43: good that i could be of help
Bubbawonder43: oh hey, have you ever heard of The Who?
SokkerChik88: the who? i think soooo, one of my friends kinda
introduced me to their music
Bubbawonder43: well i was thinking of loaning you my fav cd of them
SokkerChik88: oh hey, u can give it to me at school tomorrow!
Bubbawonder43: at school?
SokkerChik88: yeah, you go to my school right, since you've seen me
with natty at lunch
Bubbawonder43: oh yeah. well im suspended for the next two weeks
SokkerChik88: oh really?! what'd you do????/
Bubbawonder43: id rather not say. . . . . it had to deal with a
personal problem
SokkerChik88:awww, but i told u bout some of my personal problems,
though sometimes they just come out cuz they well up within me and i
just have to get it out
Bubbawonder43: well. . .i know, but see, it had to do with this girl
that my best friend like stole kind of right under my nose. and im not
really the type to want to share my problems, i can just keep 'em
inside me.
SokkerChik88: ooooh, that's sooo depressing. . . . .something similar
happended to me too but that was back a few yrs ago and its somehting
i don't like to talk about either, i try to bury it and leave it in my
past
SokkerChik88: i don't blame about not wanting to talk about it
SokkerChik88: * you
Bubbawonder43: yeah. . . .
SokkerChik88: *Hugs!*
Bubbawonder43: aww thats so sweet melinda
Bubbawonder43: *hugs* right back at ya
SokkerChik88: you can call me mel, its ok
Bubbawonder43: really?!
SokkerChik88: yeh
Bubbawonder43: hey, well now i really want to loan you that cd
SokkerChik88: well if ur suspended, how will you get it to me?
Bubbawonder43: do you think i can come to your mom's house? it doesnt
sound like she'd mind too much
SokkerChikk88: nah, she wouldnt
Bubbawonder43: or we can arrange a place to meet. . . would tonite be
alright for you? or maybe early morning tomorrow, even late tomorrow
nite?

Suddenly Natalie's words floated back to her and she realized how
stupid she had been. "Oh I really stepped into it this time! Why didn't I listen to Natty?!" she whispered out loud. Too afraid to go and wake her mom, it was well after midnight, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She racked her brains for the site that Natalie was always talking about that was connected to America's Most Wanted. Carefully, before typing in the website she sent another IM to "Joel."

SokkerChik88: hold a sec. we can arrange that in a min, i think my
mom's gettin up, i promised her id only be on til 12, so i gotta
pretend im goin to sleep, i promise ill be back in a few
Bubbawonder43: k girl

Melinda shuddered. Giant knots were forming in her stomach and she could feel sweat on the back of her neck, goosebumps on her skull and an odd pressure in the back of her head. What she was going to do now was either very brave or very stupid. She had a feeling it was both, at the same time wishing so badly for Natalie's cool composure and flawless common sense. Without missing a beat she typed .com into the web address. "Come on, please help," she whispered desperately.

She looked through the links and found the most likely one. It read "Latest News." Melinda clicked on it and it took her into a page with a written up article about the latest captures and at the bottom was a row of links to those criminals they had discussed one their last show. She scanned the story and then picked a few likely links.

The first one she chose was of no help to her, but the second one raised her hair and she was convinced that her hair had gone from light blonde to snow white. The link she had clicked on was "Rapist Loose and Ravaging After Teens."

It went into a full-length description of a forty-six year old black man who had five murders and sixteen rapes to his name. There was also suspicion of him being responsible for a murder near her own neighborhood and two of the three rapes that had occurred at a bus stop. It said he had a tendency to spy on his victims and lull them into a false sense of comfort by revealing information to them online that he could only know if he had actually seen or been spying on them. He also had a habit of pretending to be a teenage boy who had just lost a girlfriend or had his heart broken in order to soften up the girls he targeted. He also liked to lure girls out with discussions about music and an offer to loan a CD. Though before this he would usually prefer to first know a little about the type of home situation they had. The police who were tracking him had found the latest three fake names under which he operated, including: Rickie Mendol, William Jameson, and Joel Hardova.

Melinda clamped her hand over her mouth to stop a scream. Then it hit her that she could help them capture this freak and save herself from the same fate as that of the numerous other girls he had sweet-talked. Not to mention that it would be at least a little comfort to the families of his victims. She was most confident that this Bubbawonder43 was a match with Joel Hardova.
She threw down her headphones and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Melinda hesitated, then clicked down hard on the link leading her into the tip area of the site. She punched the tip hotline number into her cell phone: 1-800-CRIME-TV. But she did not press the green call button just yet.

SokkerChik88: joel? u still there?
Bubbawonder43: of course, girl
SokkerChik88: alright well my mom thinks im in bed now, so what were
we talkin bout?
Bubbawonder43: a place we can meet so i can loan you the cd
SokkerChik88: oh yeah! ok. . .well i dunno . . .
SokkerChik88: where do u suggest?
Bubbawonder43: how bout behind the gas station on the corner of
limestone and oxfferd?
SokkerChik88: sounds fine to me. . .but isnt it a litle,you know, back-
allyish?
Bubbawonder43: no not really, theres no reason to worry, plenty of
people could see us
SokkerChik88: alright well that sounds great, how about 7am tomorrow
so i can get there before school? i could easily lie to my mom, and no
one'll ever know

She hoped he would take the bait.

Bubbawonder43: that's perfect!
SokkerChik88: well i gotta go now
SokkerChik88: i'll cya tomorrow
Bubbawonder43: love you
SokkerChik88: same

Melinda signed off quickly, but not without first blocking his screen
name for good. Taking a deep breath she hit the 'call' button on her cell phone and waited to be on hold. To her surprise she was answered immediately.

"Hello, welcome to the hotline for America's Most Wanted tips. Any information you have can be used to aid our quest to take down the many criminals out there. My name is Kristine. You may remain anonymous if you wish."

Melinda faltered. Thinking of Natalie's words and still staring at the AMW website she gathered courage. "Hi, my name is Melinda. . . Melinda Ferrumick. Um, I have a major lead on the search for that one rapist guy, uh, oh! One of his fake names is Joel Hardova. I didn't exactly see your show, I got your number and stuff from your website."

"His real name is Rafael Guermend," the voice on the other end said.

Melinda's eyes widened and she held back a gasp. "Yeah, well I'm fifteen, and well. . .I just talked to him online. See he started talking to me and then somehow despite the fact it went against my instincts I talked back to him. And then somehow well. . .he kind of sweet-talked me over and I started spilling a lot of my personal information to him. And then he tried to arrange a place to meet with me to apparently loan me a CD. That's when I got totally creeped out."

"You did well in calling us, we can assure you that we can help you in this situ. ."

Melinda cut her off, "There's more. I went to your site, found that everything he'd been doing matched with Guermend, and so I arranged a place and time to meet with him, I thought you could like set up a trap with police so you can catch him. He's supposed to be behind the gas station at the corner of Limestone and Oxfferd at 7am tomorrow morning." She took a breath.

"And the city?" the voice on the other line asked.

"Hawthorn. Oh, and the screen name he used with me online was Bubbawonder43. And actually I also saved the conversation I had with him. I think that'll be valuable to your investigation."

"Of course it will be. Thank you so much Melinda for your information, this was no simple tip, you went beyond a normal citizen's duty. We'll send Detective William Roshham to your house early tomorrow morning to read through the conversation you had with the killer and set up a plan of action with the local police. Take care of yourself and try to keep out of trouble."

"No, I have to thank you so much." Melinda ended the call and shut down the computer.

As she slipped between the covers of the bed in 'her room' in her mother's house a slow smile spread over her face. She whispered to herself, "I can't wait to tell Natalie that my mom won't be remarrying after all. Her fiancé will be too busy behind bars or being put to death."